Nonfiction

Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong

Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong

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  • Create Date：2022-06-21 06:52:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Louisa Lim
  • ISBN：0593541499
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Summary

The story of Hong Kong has long been obscured by competing myths: to Britain， a ‘barren rock’ with no appreciable history; to China， a part of Chinese soil from time immemorial that had at last returned to the ancestral fold。 To its inhabitants， the city was a place of refuge and rebellion， whose own history was so little taught that they began mythmaking their own past。

When protests erupted in 2019 and were met with escalating suppression from Beijing， Louisa Lim—raised in Hong Kong as a half-Chinese， half-English child， and now a reporter who had covered the region for a decade—realised that she was uniquely positioned to unearth Hong Kong’s untold stories。

Lim’s deeply researched and personal account is startling， casting new light on key moments: the British takeover in 1842， the negotiations over the 1997 return to China， and the future Beijing seeks to impose。 Indelible City features guerrilla calligraphers， amateur historians and archaeologists who， like Lim， aim to put Hong Kongers at the centre of their own story。

Wending through it all is the King of Kowloon， whose iconic street art both embodied and inspired the identity of Hong Kong—a site of disappearance and reappearance， power and powerlessness， loss and reclamation。

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Reviews

Mark Rimelspach ，

Exceptional book on the history of Hong Kong with the change from British colonization to China authoritarian rule and how the people of Hong Kong have tried but ultimately failed to maintain their unique culture。

Rosa Angelone ，

A memoir， A history， Reporting on the ground。 This book is fantastic。From someone who grew up in pre-transfer Hong Kong and then was a reporter afterwards。 The book starts with one man's quest to lay claim to being King of the Island。 The Art community decided his calligraphy in all its awkwardness was art。 The protestors saw it as a way to speak out against first Britain and then China。 The author's family was part of the English colonial class and a Chinese Ex-pat Singaporean who help fund Sun A memoir， A history， Reporting on the ground。 This book is fantastic。From someone who grew up in pre-transfer Hong Kong and then was a reporter afterwards。 The book starts with one man's quest to lay claim to being King of the Island。 The Art community decided his calligraphy in all its awkwardness was art。 The protestors saw it as a way to speak out against first Britain and then China。 The author's family was part of the English colonial class and a Chinese Ex-pat Singaporean who help fund Sun Yat Sen。 She brings all this energy to a sprawling， lovely， heart wrenching journey through perceptions of Hong Kong's history and the people who tried to take back their own power along the way。 2019 was not that long ago even though it feels like it。 This is a great reminder。 。。。more

Monique ，

Extraordinarily beautiful and heartfelt writing。

Wing ，

Using the author's own first-person experience， her interviews with key dramatis personae， and primary and secondary literature， Louisa Lim gives a fascinating if perhaps one-sided account of the recent tumults in Hong Kong and their background。 Indeed the most captivating bits are the previously embargoed transcripts of interviews by Steve Tsang with Lord MacLehose， Sir Sze-yuen Chung， Sir Roger Lobo， and Li Fook-Wo。 These are currently in the Weston Library at the University of Oxford。 They re Using the author's own first-person experience， her interviews with key dramatis personae， and primary and secondary literature， Louisa Lim gives a fascinating if perhaps one-sided account of the recent tumults in Hong Kong and their background。 Indeed the most captivating bits are the previously embargoed transcripts of interviews by Steve Tsang with Lord MacLehose， Sir Sze-yuen Chung， Sir Roger Lobo， and Li Fook-Wo。 These are currently in the Weston Library at the University of Oxford。 They reveal how the British Colonial Government deceived and betrayed the people of Hong Kong to the very end。 A significant portion of the book is about the issue of identity。 The following snippets I think are illuminating – “Hong Kongers' identity had always been plural， more like a constellation of evolving and overlapping self-images rather than one fixed point of light” （p。154）; “the very concept of Hong Kong seemed phantasmagorical， like a shimmering chimera that was constantly changing shape depending on the angle of viewing” （p。60）; “the two competing narratives – Britain's barren rock and China's time immemorial – had stopped Hong Kongers from seeing reality” （p。64）。 Some of her observations are spot on: “The city was an oligopoly whose economy was sliced up into sectors controlled in an almost feudal manner。 This system had begun under the British and continued after the return of sovereignty” （p。213）; and “the vagueness of Hong Kong's electoral arrangement and the lack of a timeline for democracy in the Basic Law” （p。182） sowed the seeds of subsequent turmoils。The book otherwise chronicles some heroically surreal Quixotism that tried to defy a barrage of Kafkaesque charades。 These are perhaps rather one-sided but are indeed engaging。 Interestingly， Lim tries to overarch her narrative with the life and work of a mentally ill graffitist who kept vandalising buildings and structures on Crown land because he believed Kowloon belonged to his ancestors。 Whether this finesse works will depend on the reader's perspective。 Indeed， one can argue the whole book is a very complex Rorschach Test。 Five stars。 。。。more

Joanna ，

Candid and lucid。 Louisa Lim deftly weaves together background research， reportage， and her own personal narrative。 In this way， the book embodies the dilemma posed by the principle of journalistic objectivity。 Use of King of Kowloon figure as a unifying device adds a poignant extra dimension to the account。 Candid and lucid。 Louisa Lim deftly weaves together background research， reportage， and her own personal narrative。 In this way， the book embodies the dilemma posed by the principle of journalistic objectivity。 Use of King of Kowloon figure as a unifying device adds a poignant extra dimension to the account。 。。。more

John Paul ，

Amazing， timely， sad。 Louisa Lim is a fantastic writer， and she writes with both the light touch of a memoir and the rigorous brevity of a news article。

Lauren ，

• INDELIBLE CITY: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Kim， 2022。Louisa Lim started her research for this book in one direction - a biography of HK street artist and icon， "King of Kowloon" - and current events （2019-present） lead her to reshape the book into a larger cultural/political + personal history of Hong Kong。The artist， the eccentric "holy fool" Tsang Tsou-choi， better known as the "King of Kowloon" was a graffiti/street artist， who also claimed that the British stole his • INDELIBLE CITY: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Kim， 2022。Louisa Lim started her research for this book in one direction - a biography of HK street artist and icon， "King of Kowloon" - and current events （2019-present） lead her to reshape the book into a larger cultural/political + personal history of Hong Kong。The artist， the eccentric "holy fool" Tsang Tsou-choi， better known as the "King of Kowloon" was a graffiti/street artist， who also claimed that the British stole his family's land when they colonized the Kowloon region of Hong Kong， and demanded reparations and obeisance。 His defiance is seen in his ubiquitous graphic art， crude and shoddy calligraphy that covered many walls in Hong Kong。The "King" makes frequent reappearances throughout Lim's work; she uses his story of art and protest， and her own as a mixed-race child in HK to illustrate the modern shifts， and her early work as a journalist during the 1997 "handover" from the UK to China and the （fallacy） governance model of "One Country， Two Systems"。As a journalist， Lim struggles with the ethics of engagement， and when to stop reporting on injustice， and start acting with the pro-democracy movement。 This question is at the heart of the book。🌟 Highlights of the book:• Lim's discussion of her colonial school curriculum and the erasure of HK pre-colonial history。 Her mother is described as a posh British historian who towed her children to every historical site and cemetery in the region for her research on local customs and pre-colonial practices， encouraging her children to question and 'dig deeper' （and undoubtedly this spirit lead Lim into her work as a journalist！） • In this same section （Chapter 2: Ancestors） she interviews an archaeologist about Hong Kong pre-history:"Fundamentally， the past is a political topic， and you've got to be careful how you package it and how you present it。" • All sections / mentions of the King of Kowloon。 Tsang Tsou-choi died in 2007， and while much of his work has been removed by Chinese authorities， he remains an HK folk hero and his existing art is prized and collected。 I read another Hong Kong history last year （City of Protest by Antony Daparin） and Lim's book was much richer in tone and description。 Definitely recommend if you are interested in reading more about Hong Kong and recent events in this region。 。。。more

Koen ，

I never really thought about Hong Kong to be honest。 I recall seeing the protests on the news over the last years but it never really registered。Reading this book really made me appreciate the plight of the Hong Kongers。 Theirs is a strange history， governed by the British for a hundred years and then handed over to the Chinese， never really having a say in any of it。The author grew up in Hong Kong and weaves the history of Hong Kong with her personal experiences。 There's a focus on these last d I never really thought about Hong Kong to be honest。 I recall seeing the protests on the news over the last years but it never really registered。Reading this book really made me appreciate the plight of the Hong Kongers。 Theirs is a strange history， governed by the British for a hundred years and then handed over to the Chinese， never really having a say in any of it。The author grew up in Hong Kong and weaves the history of Hong Kong with her personal experiences。 There's a focus on these last decades but also some on the （disputed） origins of Hong Kong。I've come away from this book with an understanding of the unique position Hong Kongers have found theirselves in。 Chinese， but not Chinese， democratic but not democratic， free but not free。 Lots a paradox going on。 。。。more

John ，

（4。5）

Robin ，

I know more about Hong Kong than I did before reading this book。Many times while reading， I wished for maps and illustrations。

Gioia Sloane ，

Stirring， moving， captures the erasure of a city， a vanishing of its people， history， present， and future。 Heartbreaking， yet somehow， impossibly， hopeful。 I loved this book。

John Ellis ，

I appreciated Louisa's perspectives on Hong Kong， its history， and its struggle to find its identity following the handover to the PRC。 She creates an intriguing framework within which to view and retell the story of Hong Kong。 This is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject。 I appreciated Louisa's perspectives on Hong Kong， its history， and its struggle to find its identity following the handover to the PRC。 She creates an intriguing framework within which to view and retell the story of Hong Kong。 This is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject。 。。。more

Lucas ，

There’s a really interesting narrative here of a journalist abandoning neutrality and becoming an activist， but I felt like it may have worked better as like a New Yorker article than a book。 The whole structure also got really tied to the King of Kowloon and I felt there was maybe just a better way to write this， but overall an interesting and informative book。

Brad ，

Important in these years of rising authoritarianism around the world。

Aarti ，

Good history and contemporary account， but didn’t really understand why the street artist the King of Kowloon was so central to the first 60% of the book。

Ben Rogers ，

This was a good book on Hong Kong。 I got a lot out of reading it。 I do have to say， it was still not as good as Freedom: How we lose it and how we fight back or Today Hong Kong， Tomorrow the World: what China's Crackdown Reveals about Its Plans to End Freedom Everywhere， but still a good read。 4。1/5 This was a good book on Hong Kong。 I got a lot out of reading it。 I do have to say， it was still not as good as Freedom: How we lose it and how we fight back or Today Hong Kong， Tomorrow the World: what China's Crackdown Reveals about Its Plans to End Freedom Everywhere， but still a good read。 4。1/5 。。。more

Rick ，

Absolutely spectacular。 Insightful and personal。 A must read if you care about Hong Kong

David ，

I listened to the audiobook。 A history/memoir/righteous polemic about Hong Kong。 Short and compelling。 Read with passion by the author。 The tragedy of the crushing of the democracy movement in HK and the imposition of the PRC authoritarian state got somewhat lost in news here in the US because of the pandemic， and it shouldn’t have。 We should have seen the same global outrage and support we are seeing now for Ukraine （though unclear if there was any path forward that would have persevere the “on I listened to the audiobook。 A history/memoir/righteous polemic about Hong Kong。 Short and compelling。 Read with passion by the author。 The tragedy of the crushing of the democracy movement in HK and the imposition of the PRC authoritarian state got somewhat lost in news here in the US because of the pandemic， and it shouldn’t have。 We should have seen the same global outrage and support we are seeing now for Ukraine （though unclear if there was any path forward that would have persevere the “one state two systems” model。 Which is to say: many people should read this book。 The author goes quite deep in talking about the King of Kowloon， a street artist， as a symbol of Hong Kong’s story。 It is interesting to a degree， but didn’t completely work for me as I didn’t share her love/familiarity with his work and legacy。 Still， the book was excellent and moving。 。。。more

Scott Spacek ，

Having lived and worked in Hong Kong intermittently over the last 25 years--including throughout the 2019-20 protests that are the initial focus of the book--I picked up INDELIBLE CITY as soon as it came out， eager for a fresh take from a well known journalist on the still fresh upheaval and uncertain future of the unique multi-cultural city of Hong Kong。 I was not disappointed。Part history， part memoir， part detailed journalistic account of some of the recent protests and what they might mean， Having lived and worked in Hong Kong intermittently over the last 25 years--including throughout the 2019-20 protests that are the initial focus of the book--I picked up INDELIBLE CITY as soon as it came out， eager for a fresh take from a well known journalist on the still fresh upheaval and uncertain future of the unique multi-cultural city of Hong Kong。 I was not disappointed。Part history， part memoir， part detailed journalistic account of some of the recent protests and what they might mean， Lim pays moving tribute to a city and people whose perspective has often been strangely ignored by a world that tends to view Hong Kong from either a colonial or mainland Chinese lens but rarely through the eyes of the local people themselves。 Would recommend for anyone who wants to reminisce a little about time spent in Hong Kong， "Asia's World City，" and maybe contemplate just whether that brand can hold up after the events of 2019-20 and whatever is likely to come next。 。。。more

Horace Derwent ，

https://twitter。com/i/status/13750435。。。 https://twitter。com/i/status/13750435。。。 。。。more

CLEO ，

After traveling to Hong Kong for the past 15 years and immerse in their culture I was intrigued to read this book。It’s perfect especially if you are interested with the last couple of years and the riots the citizens of Hong Kong have displayed。 Learning not only the reasoning behind the riots but also the history of Hong Kong。 The author does an amazing job explaining the past and present， she gives you true insight into the people of Hong Kong and its true history。Thank you riverhead books for After traveling to Hong Kong for the past 15 years and immerse in their culture I was intrigued to read this book。It’s perfect especially if you are interested with the last couple of years and the riots the citizens of Hong Kong have displayed。 Learning not only the reasoning behind the riots but also the history of Hong Kong。 The author does an amazing job explaining the past and present， she gives you true insight into the people of Hong Kong and its true history。Thank you riverhead books for this incredible copy。 。。。more

Text Publishing ，

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Indelible City'Lim deftly weaves her way through the ages， arriving at our current time， all the while capturing Hong Kong's soul inside the book's pages。’ Newsweek‘Lim…mixes memoir and reportage in this riveting portrait of Hong Kong。 Interweaving an up-close view of recent protests against Chinese rule with evocative details about Hong Kong’s colonial past， [Indelible City] is a vivid and vital contribution to postco The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Indelible City'Lim deftly weaves her way through the ages， arriving at our current time， all the while capturing Hong Kong's soul inside the book's pages。’ Newsweek‘Lim…mixes memoir and reportage in this riveting portrait of Hong Kong。 Interweaving an up-close view of recent protests against Chinese rule with evocative details about Hong Kong’s colonial past， [Indelible City] is a vivid and vital contribution to postcolonial history。’ Publishers Weekly （starred review）‘Lim’s outstanding history of Hong Kong is an epic must-read， covering Hong Kong from its earliest beginnings to the 2019–20 protests。 From the first page， the importance of language and the voices of Hong Kongers are central themes。 Yet Indelible City captures much more as it records the struggle of people oppressed by British colonialism and suppressed by communist China yet determined in their pursuit of freedom and cultural identity。’ Booklist （starred review）‘An affecting portrayal of the spirited nature of Hong Kong and the many challenges it faces。’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Extraordinary…A must-read for our times…Honours the vibrancy of Hong Kong， its contradictions and the people who fought for it。’ Tim Watts‘Unapologetically personal…The engine for this vivid， loving book is Lim’s insistent questioning—her recognition that whatever comes next for Hong Kong will require not only fortitude but also willful acts of imagination。’ New York Times‘Illuminating…[Lim] writes mostly as a coolly objective observer， but opens with an account of crossing the line into activism…Though dominated by events since 1997， Indelible City also attempts a revisionist telling of Hong Kong’s history。’ Economist‘Indelible City dismantles the received wisdom about Hong Kong’s history and replaces it with an engaging， exhaustively researched account of its long struggle for sovereignty。’New York Times‘The book is a celebration of an exceptional city and its colourful characters， particularly an eccentric artist known as the “King of Kowloon”。 But reading it was also a mourning process for those—like me—who share the author’s assessment of recent events…Indelible City is an important book which will help keep the city， as many remember it， alive。’Australian Financial Review‘An ambitious project and a grand achievement， blending reportage and memoir to tell the story of a city caught between two competing narratives…Indelible City demonstrates the power of words in ways readers might not expect。’Elizabeth Flux， Saturday Paper'Lim’s discovery is that for those not handed a ready-made identity at birth， it is hard won yet uniquely powerful once gained。 Of course， this too is the story of Hong Kong…Lim captures the heroism of futility—of a unique society and a distinct voice on the brink of vanishing forever。’ Kurt Johnson， Australian‘Indelible City is more than a book: it is a haunting testimonial to the intertwined vitality， tragedy and hope of Hong Kong。 Louisa Lim weaves together three powerful narratives to tell this city’s story…Unforgettable reading…If academic or journalistic work on China in the age of the National Security Law， concentration camps and genocide is to have any meaning at all beyond its own vapid self-reproduction， it must embrace an activist ethos—of which Indelible City is an outstanding example。’Conversation 。。。more

Geoffrey ，

（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley）To me， Louisa Lim’s Indelible City so effectively lays out the long tradition of Hong Kongers benign ignored by their rulers and so successfully details how the city’s autonomy and any illusions of “one country， two systems） have been steamrolled by a myriad of policies and tactics from mainland China that I reached the very last chapter feeling deeply saddened and genuinely anxious for millions of people an ocean away （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley）To me， Louisa Lim’s Indelible City so effectively lays out the long tradition of Hong Kongers benign ignored by their rulers and so successfully details how the city’s autonomy and any illusions of “one country， two systems） have been steamrolled by a myriad of policies and tactics from mainland China that I reached the very last chapter feeling deeply saddened and genuinely anxious for millions of people an ocean away for me。 However， Indelible City is no eulogy。 Besides providing an excellent overview of the last several years of steady and at times relentless absorption， Lim uses a combination of pointing to the recent protests， reaching deep into the region’s history， and circling back to the eccentric “King of Kowloon” Tsang Tsou Choi to successfully （not to mention hearteningly） reveal a unique Hong Kong identity that goes beyond the east-west hybrid character that Hong Kongers traditionally get generalized with。 Specifically， it’s an identity of resilience and resistance that while exemplified in the last few years， also arguably has deep roots stretching far back through the centuries。 Packing both an informative and emotional punch， “Indelible City” is definitely in the running for one of the best nonfiction works I’ve had the good fortune of consuming this past year。 Definitely recommended for anyone wishing to better know this unique city and its people。As a final note - I would very， very strongly suggest pairing it with Karen Cheung’s soon-to-be-published The Impossible City， another fantastic Hong Kong-focused work。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0